Groups like Earthjustice and Sierra Club didn't like it, but last week the Environmental Protection Agency finally listened, did the right thing and approved a state alternative to the EPA's draconian water pollution regulations proposed for Florida.

U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder and other federal officials announced Wednesday that the government is suing BP and eight other defendants, seeking to recover damages from the Gulf of Mexico oil spill earlier this year.

Florida received a one-month reprieve before the enactment of new regulations for some bodies of water, but state regulators are still looking for flexibility from the federal Environmental Protection Agency in developing new regulations that will govern different bodies of water.